1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp of a double directional illumination structure having a light source and a two-directional illumination surface, and more particularly, to a vehicle lamp of double directional illumination structure with a shield, wherein the shield shielding a part of the light emitted forward a first illuminating direction from the light source, and reflecting the shielded light into a second illuminating direction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a vehicle comprises lighting equipments, such as vehicle lamps, for the purpose of illumination so that a driver can observe objects better in the case of driving at night, and for the purpose of signaling for notifying another vehicle drivers or walkers of the driver's vehicle state. For example, head lamps or fog lamps are for strong illumination. Turn signal lamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, side markers, etc. are for signaling. Most of the lamps with such various functions are integrally structured in an one lamp assembly called a combination lamp. For example, the combination head lamp provided on the front right and left of a vehicle comprises a high beam head lamp, a low beam head lamp, a turn signal lamp and a tail lamp, etc. The lamp with various functions as described can be configured to comprise several separate illumination surfaces (where the light emitted by a light source or a bulb is directed outside) and corresponding several separate light sources or bulbs, respectively.
The functions of vehicle lamps are increasingly varied nowaday, which results in that the area occupied by the illumination surfaces, thus the size of the combination lamp is relatively large and the number of parts is also great. Consequently, the appearance designs of vehicles are significantly limited, and complexity of the combination lamp increases. Accordingly, for implementing lamp in smaller size, multi-function vehicle lamps in which various functions are integrated have been proposed.
An example of the conventional multi-function lamps is the lamp integrated functionality of a tail lamp/stop lamp and a side marker using an one light bulb. The side marker is legally required in some countries, which is a kind of signaling lamp for indication the vehicle's presence from the lateral direction so that other drivers can visually confirm the existence of the vehicle from the side thereof. In this case, the tail lamp/stop lamp emits light backward from the vehicle (i.e. forward of the lamp) of the vehicle, while the side marker emits light laterally from the vehicle.
For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,871 discloses a lamp of a double directional illumination structure where one light source emits light into two directions perpendicular to each other. In the disclosed conventional lamp, a part of a reflecting surface that makes the light emitted from a light source directed forward, that is toward a first direction, is altered, so that the light is reflected into a lateral direction, that is a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The lamp of such a conventional double directional illumination structure emits light through two illumination surfaces perpendicular to each other with an one light source and an altered reflecting surface. Thus the lamp disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,871 satisfies the functions of a tail lamp/stop lamp and a side marker simultaneously, whereby implementing performance of various illumination functions with one light source.
By the way, such a conventional lamp does not have a shield structure, wherein the shield structure comprises a shield between the bulb and the forward illumination surface, the shield shielding light from the light bulb so that the light emitted from the bulb can be reflected to reach every corner of the reflecting surface. If the light from the light source is emitted directly toward the front of a vehicle, the light would hinder eyesight of the other drivers in the other vehicles in the opposite direction of the vehicle. In addition, the patterns employed in a lamp reflecting mirror cannot also be well represented since the directly emitting light would blinding other than itself. Therefore, the shield structure is generally employed for a vehicle lamp nowadays.
However, the conventional lamp structure with the altered reflecting surface cannot be easily applied to a lamp with the aforementioned shield structure. Because the shield would interfere the light proceeded from the bulb or from the reflecting surface to the illumination surfaces, even although the reflecting surface is made larger and altered, only smaller amount of light than desired from the bulb or the reflecting surface can reach on the illumination surfaces. Since it is impossible to ensure as much light as desired, using the altered reflecting surface as in the conventional technique, it is not easy to configure a vehicle lamp with the double directional illumination structure having a shield.
Accordingly, there has been a need for implementing a double directional illumination structure for a vehicle lamp having a shield, which can emit light into two directions, for example, perpendicular to each other, using an one light source without any reduced light efficiency.